Running Scared
by The Rahkshi Writer
Summary: I knew I had to run from what had happened. I knew I couldn't live in that world any more. What I didn't know was it had beaten me to the post. My fight to escape was over before it began... I just didn't know it yet." Rated T for safety  as standard
1. Chapter 1: Falling Star

**It's been a long time since I've written a fanfic, or at least finished one, but hopefully I've still got it. Working under the theory that pressure to roll out another chapter will actually keep me writing, I present chapter 1 of the final iteration of the Pokemon fic I always wanted to write one day. This one actually has more depth than "here's a trainer, here's a Pokemon, wacky fun will occur as the plot writes itself!" That was daft. Wacky fun is not my area of expertise. I'm much better at putting rambling self-decapritating author's notes before a story in order to forstall the inevitable and terrible moment that someone reads, judges and reviews the story and I must pull myself out of my panic attack to check whether it was worth hyperventilating over. Not that it matters because most people probably don't even read this. Whatever. Just remember that I remembered the disclaimer:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its facets, however all OCs are my intellectual property, and that does extend to individual Pokemon, in case you felt the need to steal their non-existent quirky personalities (why? You could do so much better!) so you have been warned.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1-Falling Star<strong>

The road from Nuvema to Accumula ran parallel to the sea along its length, and passed through a thick forest. In the autumn, the trees, clad in shimmering tones of crimson and gold, were so breathtaking that the area was widely held as an area of great beauty, even with a clear view of the harbour that had been built a few years ago. As one walked along the light-dappled avenue between the trees that led to the town of Accumula, the soft whisperings of the trees soothed the spirit, so it was said. What was less soothing on this particular autumn day was the sound of a girl hyperventilating in a bush.

"Okay, okay, I can do this, I can do this..." she stammered, and, taking a deep breath, peeped out from her bush. The Lillipup was still there. It growled at her when it noticed her, and she quickly pulled her head back in. "I can't do this." She cried. "Why didn't I ask someone to show me what a battle was like, what to do, where to begin! And why didn't someone tell me that wild Pokémon leap out at you like that! I-aah!" she flinched as something poked her in the leg. But instead of the Lillipup, it was a small otter Pokémon, Oshawott, watching her with what looked almost like concern. It had poked her with the shell it was carrying, which it now waved in the general direction of the Lillipup, which was_ still watching them_. "No, we can't go out there!" she exclaimed. "You think I want to stay in this bush, hugging my knees and wishing I'd worn jeans today because it's full of -ow! - thorns? No, we'd better stay here till it goes away. Maybe if we keep quiet, it'll think we've left and go away..." she looked out again. It was still there. Still watching them. "Oh..."

* * *

><p>Back in Nuvema Town harbour, a small sailing yacht pulled up to the jetty and, almost before it had stopped, a figure jumped down from the side. A boy of sixteen, wearing a plain white shirt, faded jeans held up by an equally worn belt to which a single Pokéball was strapped, and a pair of comfortable but worse-for-wear dusty grey, formerly white, trainers, and a cap rammed firmly over his brow, hiding his eyes from the sun and world at large. He hoisted his rucksack over his shoulder and looked ready to go, but before he could someone yelled from the deck "Hey, Sam!" The boy, Sam, turned slowly to look up at the tanned young man standing on deck, wearing a blue vest and shorts which seemed out of place with the sandals on his feet. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Sam seemed to stare off into space for a while, but finally replied<p>

"Yes, I'm sure. But you mustn't-"

"I mustn't tell anyone, I get it. I got it when you woke me up in the middle of the night and told me I had to bring you here. But I still don't think its right. You need to talk to someone, Sam!"

"What I _need_ is some time alone, Matt." Sam replied with what he hoped was finality. But Mat wasn't finished yet.

"I still don't know why you're doing this. And do you really think this is going to work? You can't just disappear, you know. People will want to know where you've gone. You're not below the radar anymore." Sam laughed, but it was humourless.

"We're as far as we could get from Hoen, Matt. They'll have no idea who I am, and I certainly won't tell them. Someone else will take my place." Matt sighed and shook his head.

"There's only one person who can do that, mate, and she won't stop until she's found you, whether I tell her or not. I just hope you find what you're looking for... before she's done looking for you."

"Right, well, I'll try to remember that one, Matt. Goodbye." Sam replied curtly before turning once again to walk away.

"At least take this!" Matt yelled, tossing a Pokeball at Sam, who caught it without turning round.

"What is it?" Sam asked. "I'm not taking your Gyrados or whatever other sea monster you've caught this week." He practically spat the words out.

"Nah," Matt replied, forcing an innocent smile as the boat began to pull away. "It's just a Poliwag. They always cheer me up. Think of him as a good-luck charm. To keep you safe."

"Right..." Sam replied, stashing the ball and giving Mat a small smile, more of an upward twitch of his mouth. "Thanks." He murmured as he turned away again and finally walked away. Matt watched him go, and shook his head.

"I hope you know what you're doing..."

* * *

><p>"Alright, I think it might have gone now..." Cautiously looking out for the umpteenth time in the past half-hour, the girl cursed and pulled her head back in for the umpteenth time. "Right, Oshawott, we're going to have to think of a plan... Oshawott?" the otter Pokémon seemed to have vanished. Although a sudden explosion of yapping quickly answered her question. "Oshawott, no!" she cried, leaping out of the bush just as Oshawott struck the Lillipup with its shell. The Lillipup recoiled, then recovered and backed up for a run-up. The otter glanced back at the girl for orders, before turning back to the Lillipup, which had backed into a tree. With a yip, it charged forward, kicking up little clouds of dust as it came.<p>

"Um... Oshawott, tackle!" Oshawott ducked low and thundered forward, colliding head-on with the Lillipup, sending it rolling backwards in a heap. Oshawott was dazed by the collision, but the Lillipup had had enough and ran off, yelping. "Alright, good work, Oshawott!" the girl cried, running to the tottering Pokémon. "Rest up until you can walk straight." She told it, returning it to its Pokeball. "Right," she said to herself, straightening up. "That was a shameful display, Lily Lumberry. You need to try harder. What're people going to think if you can't even command your own Pokémon? That battle wasn't that hard, was it. So from now on, it's your turn. Yep, from now on you're going to be awesome at battling, and everyone's going to be talking about the amazing Miss Lumberry. Yeah, that'll be me. Amazing." And with that, the amazing Miss Lumberry stepped out of the bushes, covered in scratches, sticks knotted in her hair and looking a mess. Right into the path of another young trainer who was eager to pick a fight, even with someone so clearly amazing.

"Let me show you my Pokémon!" he cried, pointing at Lily.

"Crud." Lily muttered.

"This is gonna be easy!" the boy cried, as his Patrat tackled Oshawott off its feet.

"Uh, Oshawott, um, tackle." Lily said, as Oshawott staggered back upright. Oshawott lunged at Patrat, who scampered away, unharmed. "Oh..." Lily whimpered as Patrat swooped in again as Oshawott staggered again. Again Oshawott tried to lunge, but Patrat once again moved back, before striking Oshawott as it tried to regain its footing. "How can we attack if it just keeps hitting us off-guard?" she complained. But as she watched, she realised that Patrat had rhythm. Tackle, retreat, tackle, retreat, a repetitive motion that had it springing back and forth continuously. If she broke that motion, Patrat would be caught off guard and then she could go on the attack! But she'd have to move fast, or Oshawott would be down. "Oshawott," she cried as the Patrat tackled it again, "wait." Oshawott cocked its head but did not attack. Patrat sprang back, unrelenting, and launched itself at Oshawott again. "Dodge!" Oshawott stepped aside as Patrat leapt, causing it to trip up. "Now, tackle!" Oshawott jumped on the downed Patrat, and proceeded to pound it into submission with its feet.

"Oh yeah! Patrat, use bite!" Patrat suddenly seemed to spring back into life, biting Oshawott's foot as it came down once again. Surprised, Oshawott toppled off, before both Pokémon regained their footing and stood glaring at each other. "Come on Patrat, another bite attack!" the boy yelled, sensing a win. But now, Lily had gotten into the swing of things.

"Oshawott, give it some mussel." She commanded. Oshawott whipped up its shell and jammed it in the Patrat' open maw. It bit down on the shell, squeaking as its teeth scraped on the sharpened scallop. "Now, finish it with water gun!" Oshawott grabbed the scallop still clenched in the Patrat's teeth and spewed a river of water into the gopher Pokémon's face. It reeled back, sopping wet, and collapsed in a sodden heap at its trainer's feet. Oshawott, meanwhile, hosed off its shell and dusted it off before sticking it back on its chest. Lily breathed a sigh of relief "Well, it was anything but easy, but..."

"Osha osh." Oshawott finished for her, looking smug.

"Yeah, whatever he said." Lily finished lamely. The boy ran off in the direction of the town she'd just come from, so she began walking further down the path towards Accumula Town. _Maybe,_ she thought, _just maybe, I can actually do this. _

* * *

><p>As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, matching the hue of the white paving stones to that of the redbrick buildings, Lily strolled into the town, making a beeline for the Pokémon centre located across the main square, ignoring the empty podium erected to her left. Dotted around the square were people, most heading home for the day, save for a group of kids about her age, who seemed to be watching a battle between one of them and another, older boy with a Snivy. Only it seemed more like an argument. The boy was shouting something and the others were laughing and pointing. Then the boy ordered his Purrloin to attack the Snivy, who wasn't actually battling, but standing by his trainer's feet. The older boy stepped in front of the Snivy, and the Purrloin scratched up his leg instead. The group of kids cried out, and Lily, now closer, could hear the one who'd ordered it to attack demanding what the older one was doing. The older boy simply shook his head and turned to walk away, wincing slightly as he moved his scratched leg. But to do so he had to step away from the Snivy, and it was then that the Purrloin attacked. That was too much for Lily. "Oshawott, stop that Purrloin!" she cried, bowling her Pokeball at the Purrloin. Oshawott sprang forth and slashed at it with its razor shell, leading to outcries from the kids.<p>

"Why're you barging in? Don't you know the rules for battles?" the owner of the Purrloin demanded.

"I know you shouldn't be attacking his Pokémon while the trainer's walking away, yeah." Lily snarled.

"What're you doing!" the older boy hissed. "Don't start a fight on my behalf."

"No, its okay, I've got this." Lily reassured him, turning back to the other kids.

"No, I mean I don't want you to fight for me. If I wanted that, I'd do it myself. Also, your Oshawott's going to faint."

"No way. We can take a Purrloin, you know." Lily replied huffily, rather annoyed at the stranger's lack of gratitude for her assistance.

"...Two on one's not fair, is it?" the boy yelled at her.

"What?" Lily asked, but when one of the others released a Blitzle, she realised exactly what he meant. "Ah..." she said, wondering if she might have the good fortune to be fighting a Blitzle which did not know any electrical moves.

"Charge!" the Blitzle's trainer, a girl about her age but with dark hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in more sensible clothing for skulking in bushes than Lily's shorts, commanded, and Blitzle's fur began to bristle with static. Bother. And on top of that...

"Purrloin, scratch!" The Purrloin lunged at Oshawott, who was hit, caught by surprise, and reeled backwards. It struggled back to its feet, but it didn't look in good shape. Lily thought she heard the older boy behind her growl something impolite before the dark-haired girl cried "Shockwa-"

"Leaf Tornado!" the boy standing behind Lily roared, and Snivy leapt forward, leaves shooting from where they lay scattered across the square and ripped off the trees into a red-orange blur that surged past Lily, whipping up the Purrloin and crashing into the Blitzle, sending the pair tumbling into a heap before the wind subsided, covering them in leaves. And knocked out cold. "Happy now?" the boy demanded, seething. "take _this_," he snarled, tossing a potion at her, which she caught just shy of it colliding with her head, "and next time, if you must battle, at least do your Pokémon the service of making sure they're actually fit to battle!" and without another word, he turned on his heel and stalked off.

"Well gee, sorry for helping!" Lily yelled after him. He didn't turn around, but he did stop. "That's better. Now all you have to do is apologise and..." the boy held up a hand to silence her. "Hey, don't tell me to..." then she followed his gaze across the square to the podium she'd walked past earlier, only now it was occupied.

* * *

><p>My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."<p>

"Pokémon Liberation?" Lily asked.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"

"Does this guy actually own a Pokémon?" Lily pondered, but all eyes were on the speaker.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?" Nervous mutterings began to spread through the crowd at this.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

"And come back same time tomorrow for the Elgyem conspiracy theorists!" Lily shouted, rather more loudly than she intended. The trainer she'd been arguing with just before gave her a withering glare. The man on the podium, Ghetsis, apparently either didn't hear her or was ignoring her, but someone else did.

"Excuse me," Lily whirled round to find a man standing right behind her. She would have hit him if she hadn't jumped a foot away when he spoke. He was tall and wore tan trousers with a white jacket, a black and white cap perched on what appeared to be a messy ponytail of sorts. Around his neck he wore a weird pendant, and something about him Lily found incredibly unnerving, although she couldn't quite place what it was. "You're rather sceptical of Pokémon liberation, despite your inability to understand how they feel. What makes you so sure? What do your Pokémon say? Show me!" With that he produced a Pokeball and tossed it, releasing a large Purrloin, which flexed its claws and snarled at Lily.

"Well today's your lucky day, because we're all fired up!" Lily cried. "Oshawott, go!"

"Even now you are ordering your Pokémon about..." the man told her, as Oshawott sprung from its Pokeball.

"Oshawott!" It yelled at the man and his Purrloin. He raised an eyebrow.

"How intriguing." He mused. "Very well. Purrloin, scratch!" Purrloin sprang, but Lily had anticipated this.

"Oshawott, water gun!" she cried. Oshawott sprang into action, spitting water at the Purrloin, which managed to stall it just short of making contact. "Keep it up!" she yelled encouragingly. Oshawott continued to pound the Purrloin with water, pinning it under the torrent, until within a minute it dropped under the spray and sprawled on the ground. "Alright, that's enough!" Lily commanded, and Oshawott ceased its barrage. "Nice work, Oshawott." She cheered, bending down to give Oshawott a high-five.

"Oshawott, Osh." Oshawott replied proudly, before turning back to the green-haired man.

"See, me and Oshawott are best buddies." Lily told the man triumphantly.

"Interesting... But you will be made to understand. Everyone will be made to understand..." he turned away, but found the boy blocking his path.

"Who are you?" he asked. The man stepped right up to him, so that the boy had to lean back.

"I am N." The man replied, before walking off after Ghetsis and his escort of what looked like people dressed as knights.

"Well that was weird." Lily said, looking after them. "Who were they?"

"No idea." The boy replied, frowning. "But it's an interesting idea."

"Seriously?" Lily asked, incredulous. "How can you say you'd rather be separated from your Pokémon? What about Snivy?" The boy glared at her, but then his gaze seemed to pass through her, looking into the far distance.

"Sometimes Pokémon can get hurt in battles. Sometimes... sometimes they die." He said. "If Pokémon were freed, they wouldn't have to battle any more. They wouldn't have to die by the decisions of their masters."

"Yeah, but... that hardly ever happens. Most of the time, it's just fun. People and Pokémon, bonding together. We work together to accomplish more. It's not just a one-way thing. They protect us and work for us, we help them grow and become stronger. We can do these things alone, but it's much easier when we work together."

"I suppose..." the boy said cautiously. "But still, they have a point..."

"Okay, now I know there's something wrong with you. You need someone to keep an eye on you. Someone like me." Lily told him.

"You cannot be serious..." he replied incredulously.

"Damn right I am. But if it makes you feel better, we'll call it a partnership. I'm Lily. Lily Lumberry." She offered a hand to shake.

"Right. And is there any way I can make you go away and stop bothering me?" the boy asked, although he was beginning to smile.

"Nope. You're gonna be stuck with me until I'm convinced you're cured." Lily informed him.

"Well, I suppose I need someone to show me around. And you need some serious training before you hurt yourself. So I'd better follow you around to keep you out of harm's way." He said, grudgingly, but smiling nonetheless. Lily's enthusiasm was infectious.

"Excuse me?" Lily demanded. "Keep me out of harm's way? Before I hurt myself?"

"Yes, but if it makes you feel better, we'll say we're partners instead of mentor and student. I'm Sam. Sam Ponder." He told her, grinning and wagging a finger, before grabbing her hand and shaking it.

"Alright then, partners it is." Lily replied, clasping his hand and shaking it also. Then they stood there staring at each other for a minute or so.

"Erm..."

"Uh..."

"Is it me or is it cold out here?"

"Yeah. Let's get inside."

"Can you rent rooms in the Pokémon centres here? It's probably warm in there."

"Sure, sure. Let's do that."

"Right."

"Right."

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><p><strong>A little short by my current standards, but the next chapter will be longer. If anyone has any Pokemon they'd like to appear in the story, feel free to say so, as long as they actually do appear in Gen 5. This story started out Unova based, and that's how it's gonna stay.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: The odd couple

**Although this chapter is ridiculously short, I found that I'd written to a natural act break, so I decided to stop here, allowing me to focus on happenings in Striaton City next chapter. Whether this one's actually important is up for debate now, but whatever. Don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon ain't mine, but all original characters are. Pretty self-explanatory, I think.**

**(First sign of madness, talking to yourself...)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2-The Odd Couple<strong>

The next morning, Lily was stubbornly lying in bed, refusing to acknowledge the presence of the harsh sunlight stinging her eyeballs, despite having her eyes gummed shut. It was just rude, as far as she was concerned, for the sun to rise at this time in the morning anyway. People are trying to sleep, especially after watching late-night live coverage from the Hoen League into the early hours. Although admittedly she probably could have skipped the debate show about littering in the countryside. But nonetheless, it was still downright inhumane for the sun to be up at this hour. It was what, ten in the morning? Well she for one was going to take a stand against it. The sun had been the boss of people for millions of years. Well today, she was going to turn over, face the wall and put a pillow over her head. As she shuffled over, Oshawott stirred at the end of the bed. "Osh... Oshawott!" he cried happily, scrambling up the bed to Lily's head. "Oshawott!" he called. When he got no response, he began poking her. "Osh, osh!" he yelled, jumping up and down by her head.

"Ugh... alright, alright... I'm getting up... stupid otter..." Lily grumbled as she rolled out of bed and flopped to the floor. Rising and stretching, she surveyed the room she'd been sleeping in. The TV in the corner, an old and scratched wood-panelled model with a circular antennae sticking out, rested on top of a set of dresser draws resting against the wall next to the door. The floor was wood-panel, cheaper than carpet she guessed, and easier to clean too, and was littered with her things. She'd make an effort to clean up after she'd changed. Now... where were her jeans? She wasn't making the same mistake twice.

Half an hour later, showered, dressed and having transferred her clutter from bedroom to bag, Lily wandered downstairs into the main lobby to hand in her room key and set off. As the nurse took her key and hung it back on its hook, Lily noticed the adjacent key was also on the hook. The adjacent key was the one to Sam's room, so did that mean he'd already gone? "Uh, excuse me?" Lily asked, annoyance building at the thought of being ditched after making a deal. "Do you know if the person who handed in that key in is still here?" she asked, rather more forcefully than she intended. But they shook on it! Didn't that mean anything anymore?

"Oh..." the nurse said apprehensively. "He... he's out in the yard. There's a court out there for battles."

"Ah, right. Thanks." Lily replied, exhaling and walking as quickly as possible, without looking suspicious, away from the desk, out to where Sam was supposed to be. She soon spotted him out in the yard, today sporting a grey t-shirt under a red waistcoat and matching baseball cap, and below all that wearing air force blue jeans and white and grey sneakers.

"Alright, again!" Sam commanded. Snivy narrowed its eyes and stared at a pile of rocks in the centre of the court. A gale started to blow, pulling at leaves on the trees and ground, and sand from the ground, drawing it up into a whirling dust devil over the cairn that increased in intensity to the point it was tugging twigs from the surrounding trees as well as leaves. "Hold it, hold it..." Sam said. Snivy did not reply, but his eyes narrowed further, concentrating on building the intensity of the tornado. A bead of sweat formed and rolled down his forehead, and Lily stared, her hair whipping about her face. Finally, when it looked like Snivy was about to break, Sam cried "break!" Snivy broke concentration and stepped back as the tornado dissipated, depositing its contents in a heap... no, hang on, where had it gone? Lily stepped forward to get a better look at where the tornado had been, just as Sam realised she was there. "Oh, hey. You had me hoping you were just winding me up last night. I guess that's out of the question now..."

"Yeah..." Lily said, not really listening. She was staring at a neat bowl carved into the ground, which held all the leaves, branches, sand and rocks Snivy had swept up. "Did you do this?" she wondered, turning to Sam, who looked embarrassed. He smiled sheepishly.

"I suppose so." Sam said. "So?"

"So that's really cool! How did you get your Snivy so strong? It must have been in loads of fights..." Sam said nothing, but he was no longer smiling.

"I've had him for a long time. You might call him a perk of-" Sam stopped. He'd nearly let something slip. Luckily, Lily had panicked when she'd seen his expression.

"Oh, right, sorry. But... it sure looks like you're training him to fight right here. And not just training him to fight. I've never seen anyone use Leaf Tornado to drill a hole in the ground before. I'd say that a move that powerful is kind of overkill, to be honest." Lily replied pointedly.

"I train him to survive. With luck, he'll never need to fight. But if he does, then no-one will be able to harm him. He will always be safe. And the faster the fight ends, the faster the pain will end." Sam explained, calling Snivy back to him.

"Uh, okay, scary. That's... an interesting way to view things. But why travel with Pokémon anyway, if you won't fight with them?" Lily asked.

"Same reason everyone does, really. To adventure, see the world, make friends. Pokémon aren't just tools of war. To be the best, you have to understand that." Sam retorted, chiding her. Lily caught the insult and snapped back before she could stop herself,

"Ironic that the best own the best tools of war."

"Quite." Sam muttered. "Still, who better to wield them than those who understand that they should never be used?" he countered.

"I guess so..." Lily mused. That had never really occurred to her, actually. But then she remembered why she'd come after him to begin with. "So what do you wanna do today?" she asked.

"Well, you're claiming to be my guide. You tell me." Sam suggested, eyebrows raised.

"Uh, I actually said I'd keep an eye on you, not show you around." Lily said awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. "And I really have no idea what there is to do here. I've never come so far on my own before... I guess I was kinda planning to head for Striaton City this morning..."

"Right. Well, just in case you're as unprepared as you seem, we should be able to get there by following route 2 northwards... and we should arrive this evening, if we get a move on." Sam said; consulting a device that had been clipped to his belt, a yellow shield with a blue-tinted plexiglass sphere set in its centre. He'd snapped open the device, revealing a screen which folded out of the top half, leaving the point of the shield intact.

"That's a Pokénav, isn't it? " Lily asked him. Sam paused and looked up from his consultation of the device.

"Yeah." He said uneasily.

"It's just that I've only ever seen people wearing those in Hoen... and they're pretty expensive. You must be pretty rich."

"Well, this was actually a leaving-home present." Sam told her, smiling nostalgically.

"So you're from Hoenn then?" Lily asked.

"Yes..." Sam replied cautiously.

"You must have seen some pretty cool Pokémon over there... did you get any gym badges?"

"A couple, yeah..." Sam replied airily.

"Cool." Lily gasped. Then her expression turned sly. "But I bet I get more!"

"Right, so we'd better get going." Sam chuckled, infected, however briefly, by Lily's enthusiasm, and grabbing his bag from where it leaned against the wall. "You ready?"

"Sure, let's go!" Lily cried, skipping ahead of him through the Pokémon centre back into the main square.

* * *

><p>"Miss Stone, what do you have to say about your new title?"<p>

"Go away."

"Miss Stone, Miss Stone, any comment on the location of-"

"Get lost."

"Any-"

"No! No! No! Leave me alone!" Miss Stone screamed, sending her hair swinging round in an arc under her bandana as she spun and grabbed the closest reporter by the throat. "Ask me one more question and I'll kill you." She growled. The reporter stared, eyes wide, until someone else grabbed the enraged champion and began to drag her away.

"Alright A, that'll do." Said Matt Surge, a large young man with messy brown hair, wearing his usual blue vest and camo-patterned baggy shorts, as he pulled her back and led her away from the crowd who were pressing in on all sides. "This isn't working..." he sighed. Grabbing a pokeball in his calloused hand, he clicked it once and a jet of red light hurled a huge Swampert into the midst of the crowd. "Keep them back." He told it. The Swampert nodded as it backed up behind them, keeping the crowd back as they went, until at last they reached a large, ornate looking door which they ducked through into a large marble hall. Behind them, Swampert stood at the door, arms folded, alongside two security guards who were stationed by the door at all times. Only champions were allowed into the hall of fame.

"Thanks." Miss Stone, A to her friends, said grudgingly to Matt as she leaned back against one of the columns that held up the ceiling. "Although I could easily have dealt with them myself."

"Yeah, but beating up reporters is not a fantastic example for all the young trainers out there. You're champ now, you've got responsibilities." Matt replied, grinning.

"Don't remind me." A snorted, sighing deeply as she rested her head on the stone, gazing skywards.

"How are you holding up? You looked pretty drained after that match, Alice." Matt said, concern woven into his features. Alice's gaze swivelled to rest on him as it became a glare.

"Don't bother calling me Alice, _Matthew._ I'm fine, really." Alice's reply was scathing, but Matt saw different in the dark bags under her eyes, that seemed to lend her many undeserved years.

"I'm just worried about you, that's all." Matt gazed round the room, over to the pedestal where the names of past champions were carved into the stone. From here he couldn't make out the names, but he knew the last one well enough to imagine that he could see it. Alice followed his gaze.

"I just did what I had to. I'm sure he'd rather I was champion rather than that flounce Wallace."

"Hey," Matt cried, feigning hurt. "Wallace was a master of water type Pokémon. You have to respect him for that."

"Well it didn't mean he had to pretend his clothes were made of water and become the dancing queen." Alice retorted. "_Ooh, look at me, I'm dancing with my Pokémon! We've been practising our choreography so we can flounce to the tune of battle! Oh, ah, oh god, you're not dancing in time! Oh, the horror!_" Alice swooned; hand to her forehead, then righted herself to see Matt chuckling.

"You're so cruel, you are. I don't get what he saw in you at all."

"Yeah..." Alice said, put out, sliding down the length of the column to end up sitting on the floor. She looked up at him and Matt saw for an instant how drained she really was. Then she restored her facade. "We should have done something..." she whispered.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. He wasn't talking to anyone."

"Exactly! We should have known that there was something up with him!"

"You've got to keep it together, Alice!" Matt told her, his voice bouncing off the walls. "That won't help anything."

"I... right. You're right. But we've got to find him. He can't have just vanished off the face of the earth." Alice got up and turned towards the door, where the throng of people seemed to have dispersed, although Swampert still stood guard, blocking her view. "I'm going to talk to Steven. Perhaps he'll have some ideas."

"Alright. What should I do?" Matt asked as they walked towards the exit.

"Eh, hold the fort, I suppose." Alice said. "Did you ever beat the Elite Four?"

"Um, for the express reason of preventing you from making me champion while you go off adventuring, no." Matt said, grinning when she rounded on him.

"What! How on earth did you figure out that I was going to do that?"

"Simple. I knew that one of you two would be the champion. And I knew you wouldn't stay. You can't sit still for long, and he's always exploring. So it'd quickly get ridiculous trying to keep the champion here. So eventually you'd want a substitute. And who better to do it than me?"

"Hmph, fine. I'll just have to vacate the position for a while. Just let me know if anyone turns up."

"Will do. After all, you'd be a pretty bad seat-warmer if you lost the title."

"Right." Alice pushed past the Swampert without another word. Matt watched as she passed through the door at the other end of the main arena and vanished from site. She looked like a normal teenage girl from here. Tan-coloured hair arranged in pigtails, pretty thin and wearing an orange t-shirt, emerald green ¾ length trousers and a matching bandana. It was an interesting contrast to the reputation, and the girl, he knew, who would happily tear you apart at the drop of a hat, and was famed as being generally terrifying. He could also notice that her characteristic swagger was gone now.

"Sam, you bastard." He muttered. "You better know where you're going with this..."

* * *

><p>"And just as I promised, Striaton City by dusk!" Sam cheered, throwing his arms out in the direction of the city at the bottom of the hill. When there was no reply, he turned round. Lily was standing behind him, doubled over and panting furiously. She spat and straightened up again, livid and sweating like a Tepig, shining her forehead so that it reflected the dying sunlight.<p>

"How the hell can you stand straight after that?" she cried, pointing back the way they had come. Sam looked back along the road, and further back where he could just make out the town of Accumula in the far distance, slightly taller shadows rising from the forest stretching for miles in every direction, under a sky turning dark as the sun pulled its rays westward into the horizon, the sky turning from golden yellow through crimson to a soft mauve hue. Sam was awed, but the serene twilight was filled Lily's cursing. So he decided he'd better focus on that. "...and how come you're not drenched?" she demanded. "It's hardly fair taking me through that when you're not even suffering as much as me..."

"First of all, a handkerchief always comes in handy." Sam told her, tugging a cloth out of his waistcoat's breast pocket, which was conspicuously damper than he was, and dabbing his brow. "And secondly, in Hoenn we have a tropical climate and long stretches of uninhabited wilderness between towns and other settlements. So we spend our lives walking for miles in the scorching heat and high humidity. So we don't sweat, and we're used to hiking long distances. Compared to Hoenn, this place is actually pretty chilly, so the walk just keeps me warm. That's also why I'm still wearing my waistcoat. Any more questions?"

"I hate you." Lily muttered. Sam sniggered.

"That's not a question. But here, I think this might help." He said, balling up a handkerchief and tossing it to her. Lily recoiled from it as it hit her shoulder, then she realised it was dry. "Always carry a spare." Sam told her, laughing, as she quickly wiped her brow.

"Right, I'll remember that." Lily said, stashing it in her back pocket.

"Alright then. Now let's get a move on before it gets dark." Sam began walking down the hill, pacing himself so that Lily could walk at a more comfortable speed. But he heard a rapid pattering of footsteps behind him, and stepped aside as Lily barrelled down the hill, whooping and waving her arms wildly. Sam stopped and stared as she careened down the road into town. Then he shrugged. "Whatever." He finally said, before walking after her.

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, so hope that was okay, even if it did end up being fluff (read: padding), although I like to think it developed the characters a little. It certainly helped me figure out their characters. <strong>


End file.
